Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

 As it is Remembrance Day, I am paying homage to an artist you probably haven't heard of. A man who had a prolific career as an illustrator and landscape painter, later becoming an official war artist with many paintings held by the Australian War Memorial. ALBERT HENRY FULLWOOD Albert was born on the 15th of March 1863 at Erdington, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, the son of Frederick John Fullwood, jeweller, and his wife Emma. He was the middle child of six. From the age of 15, Henry, as he was better known, attended Birmingham Institute on a scholarship. The census in 1881 shows most of the children living together, Henry as a jeweller and artist. Upon completing his studies and soon after his father had died, he migrated to Sydney arriving in December 1883 on the Rialto. He was listed as a lithographer (printmaker). Henry soon found work at John Sands Ltd and became a black and white illustrator for the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia and travelled extensive...

  I recently heard that an exhibition of French Impressionist paintings from the Carnavalet Museum in Paris will be heading to Bendigo Victoria next year. That news sounded impressive, but it made me think about the many Australian painters, (not just of the Impressionist era), who magnificently captured the light that is so unique to this country. I then had time to muse on the number of painters who lie in Rookwood, many in unmarked graves, who are somewhat forgotten. Over the next few months, I will be "resurrecting" them, so to speak, and putting them in the spotlight. The subject of today's blog (who actually has a marked grave) was a watercolourist of some note. His works were many over a very small time. JESSE JEWHURST HILDER Jesse was born in Toowoomba, Queensland in July 1881, the fourth son of Henry Hilder, an engineer originally from Sussex England and his wife, Elizabeth. He attended Toowoomba North Station School until 1890 when his family moved to Br...